Researchers at Cornell University have developed a tiny carbon fiber “chip,” which has an absolutely amazing ability. They've mounted a mirror on an oscillating circuit, which would allow a single laser beam to be emitted against the mirror, with the mirror changing direction to produce an image that can be displayed at a distance as a screen.

All of us are familiar with the red-laser scanning devices used at supermarkets and stores. Well, those devices do a quite similar thing, in that a laser beam moves back and forth quite fast to read the UPC labels. What this system will do is oscillate a tiny, tiny mirror back and forth to reflect a beam to produce a whole image, rather than just lines as the scanners today work. In addition, the device is incredibly small.

The 400 x 500 micron (0.2mm) square device is a MEMS (Micro-Electro Mechanical System) made out of carbon fiber instead of silicon. Carbon fiber was chosen because while silicon is cheap and plentiful, it's relatively fragile. This tiny circuit has to oscillate at frequencies of up to 2.5KHz, which is incredibly fast for a physical device–even a MEMS.

Potential applications for the device are amazing. Imagine a laser beam-splitter fitting in your watch, cellphone, PDA, or other device. This would allow you to project images, text, possibly even photos, or other items at potentially great distances with little distortion or visual loss. The next step, putting several of these tiny MEMS together to produce RGB images using Red, Green, and Blue lasers, allowing for color images. And finally, we might actually see the day when “Help me Obi-wan Kenobi, you're our only hope” becomes a reality. Images in the palms of our hands, literally.

Read more at NanoTechWire, and post your thoughts below about this amazing technology.

Remember..(10:56am EST Fri Aug 25 2006)Alien vs Predator movie? I know it was pretty crappy, but during one scene, one of the predators uses his wrist computer, to project a map of the piramid in 3d, it was actually pretty amazing, and now this could make such device possible…can anyone remember what sci-fi movie this type of projection technology first appear? - by Riverama

Remember..(10:56am EST Fri Aug 25 2006)Alien vs. Predator movie? I know it was pretty crappy, but during one scene, one of the predators uses his wrist computer, to project a map of the pyramid in 3d, it was actually pretty amazing, and now this could make such device possible…Can anyone remember what sci-fi movie this type of projection technology first appeared?- by Riverama

Screw micro sized devices(6:07pm EST Fri Aug 25 2006)The MAJOR problem with projectors now is the lamp. Besides Lamps costing $500 to $1000 each, they are not very strong, and cause a lot of heat. - by mjwii

Lamp…What?(7:54pm EST Fri Aug 25 2006)There is no lamp on this it is laser. It's a totally different ball game with a laser in terms of power and effeciency. - by tx gk

YAY!(12:54am EST Sat Aug 26 2006)Now I'll be able to hide my obession with porn in the palm of my hand.

Wait…I already do…

- by BrotherWitch

Nice Nice(8:59am EST Sat Aug 26 2006)It is good to see these things finaly seeing the light of day. I for one want to be able to sit back relax and have a virtual in person conversation with me brother 500 miles away. - by Eric the Red